Day Four - Mission: Wolf

Posted by amy on September 21, 2006 in Mission Wolf.

09.21.06 - 8:56 PM - 35 degrees






I woke up this morning around 5:30 AM to pellets of snow continuously hitting my tent. When I got myself warm enough to see what was outside, I opened my vestibule to a blanket of snow, harsh wind and freezing temperature. Inside my tent right now it's 35 degrees but feels much colder...

The snow came down in several inches and as the sun came out this afternoon, the snow in the driveway turned to slush and eventually mud. My tent held up quite well considering the circumstances, but my backdoor vestibule collapsed as a result of the snow's weight. This morning I gave a dog training session to a couple of staff members and the only three dogs here at Mission: Wolf.




Rocky


Rocky, the youngest (7 months old) who looks similar to a wolf, is actually a dog. I will be driving Rocky to the Aspen Animal Shelter on my way back home next Monday for adoption. Today, I spent some time observing a pack of three wolves and Maggie - the Wolf Ambassador. Most of the wolf behaviors are similar to dogs, but there are some things that are really different. A wolf's brain is three times larger than a dog's - I would consider wolves to be similar to the intelligence of a dolphin. Their howls are all different - not one wolf has the exact same howl.

I gave another tour today to a number of men on a business trip from Florida, Ohio and Colorado. Afterwards, we took them to see Maggie but one stayed outside the enclosure as he was too afraid to interact with her. Later in the day, I helped clean out the new building for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, I have to help one of the staff members relocate a fear biting wolf on a leash into a new enclosure. That will prove to be very interesting. Other than than, it's supposed to snow more this weekend so I have to come up with new ways to stay warm in my tent all night.

I've met some very interesting people so far from all around the world. This weekend, 45 vet and behavior students will be arriving from Pike's Peak Community College. I'm looking forward to discussing behavior with them. For now through, it's just about staying warm and my hands are freezing just typing this journal entry.



Good Night Everyone! Jennifer

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